There is no doubt we are at a turning point. There are signs across a diverse number of industries that the economy is on the upswing. Consider just a few of the following:

Throughout San Bernardino County, in cities such as Ontario and Redlands, there is new housing and retail development. Inland Empire industrial vacancy rates have fallen to 4.5 percent from 12.8 percent during the recession. As of December, 16.9 million square feet of industrial space was under construction in the region which accounts for 80 percent of the total for Southern California. The Inland Empire unemployment rate is now at a low of 7.3 percent from a high of 14.2 percent in 2009. Moreover, we still have positive population growth as our housing remains more affordable than it is along the coast.

The challenge now for all of us isn’t just about building momentum, but how we can work together to sustain it.

Too often local communities and cities must focus day-to-day on managing resources and keeping a local constituency safe and secure, complicating the opportunity for long-range planning.

To evolve effectively into neighborhoods and urban centers where businesses can thrive and grow and residents can enjoy an attainable quality lifestyle, public agencies must take a long-term outlook on how to design, develop and dedicate scarce resources.

This last economic cycle created massive challenges for government leaders at all levels. However it also resulted in increased public-private collaboration — and this is where the greatest opportunity is found.

When resources are limited, the public, private and nonprofit sectors must work together to plan effectively to develop better solutions. Similar to a business, there must be a plan in place to implement new, broad-ranging ideas. The examples are all around us.

Employers demand continuously improving educational and training systems that can deliver globally competitive workers. One new solution is the $15 million grant received by Chaffey College and the Inland Empire Regional Training Consortium (IERTC), a partnership of 10 community colleges, to improve manufacturing training in the region. With this grant, Chaffey and IERTC will create a STEM education business incubator center focused on advanced manufacturing. The center will be located on site at one of the region’s largest employers, California Steel in Fontana.

Another example of the value of collaboration is the success of R&B Machine in Upland. R&B Machine is a leading manufacturer of highly engineered aerospace components and assemblies for the satellite, aerospace, defense, energy, medical device and other high-tech related sectors. According to their leadership, R&B could not do any of this work without access to the top talent in the world for working on machine tooling and precision instruments. As a county employer, R&B is able to take advantage of county job training programs that provide 50 percent of the salary of a new worker for up to three months of on-the-job training. For R&B, these cost savings can be used to accelerate their company’s growth.

These stories and more will be featured as part of the 2015 State of the County event held April 15 at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario. The event is designed to share how the county is implementing the vision and to talk about how business, government, education and the community are working together to maximize resources and create new opportunities.

The opening segment of the Countywide Vision statement expresses this idea: “We envision a complete county that capitalizes on the diversity of its people, its geography, and its economy … We envision a vibrant economy with a skilled workforce that attracts employers who seize the opportunities presented by the county’s unique advantages….”

Working together, we can move beyond momentum, into purposeful economic growth and job creation that enhances our region, the future of our business community and the lives of our residents, today and for generations to come.

I look forward to seeing you on April 15.

Advance registration for the 2015 San Bernardino County State of the County is open until midnight April 12 at www.sbcountyadvantage.com. On site registration will be available.

Larry Vaupel is the economic development agency administrator for San Bernardino County.